Leveling-staff.



- No. 723.526'. V PATBNTED MAR. 243903., K. HEN.

LEVELING STAFF.

APPLIOATION I'ILED APB. 14, 1902.

Io MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

KARL HEIN, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

LEVELING-STAFF.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. '723,526, dated March 24, 1903.

t Application filed April 14:, 1902. Serial No. 102300. (No model.)

To all whom it may concrzm:

Be it known that I, KARL HEIN a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing in Hanover, Germany, have invented an Im'proved Leveling-Staff, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates more specically to the measuring instruments known as leveling stas or 'ods for surveyors use; and the ol)- ject of my invention is to so construct such a staff that the surveyor can assure himself at the moment of 'reading the staff that the said stafi does actually stand in a perpendicular position and that consequently incorrect results cannot follow from au inclination of the staff. This object I attain by providing the leveling-stafi With an audible or visible signal, operated either by electrical or mechanical means, to indicate to ,the surveyor at a distance when the stafi is in a perpendicular position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical section illustrating one form in which my invention may be carried into efiect. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modification.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the signaling de vices as electrical, and preferably as inclosed or partly inclosed within a protective box c, affixed to the leveling-staff d in any suitable manner. There is a pendulum a forming part of an electrical circuit which is closed by a suitable part of the pendulum coming into contact with a contact-piece I) when the levelingstafi is perpendicular. The wires of this circuit include a battery e and the electromagnet f of an electromagnetic bell or other audible, signal and an incandescent lamp k, or either, whereby there may be transmitted to the surveyostanding at a distance an audible or visible signal, or both, at the moment when the leveling instrument is put in a truly perpendicular position and while it is so maintained. I have diagrammatcally indicated the battery and the signal-as if mounted upon the staff; but these parts may be actually located in or on a separate support near by. The pendulum and contact must of course be upon the staff d and preferably inclosed within a box c.

In Fig. 3 I have shown by way of example a signaling device to be actuated mechanicallywhen the staff dis putin its perpendicular position. For this'purposel provide (preferably within a protecting-box c, as before) a spring-'actuated ringing device g'-such as used in a1arm-clocks,fr instance. Normally the hammer of the bell is locked bya springfinger h, which is maintained in the looking position (shown by full lines in Fig. 3) by means of the inclined upper edge of a vertically-guided rod 9'. The lower end of this rod 7' rests upon and is supported by a lever t', pivoted at Z to the box, and in turn this lever lies in contact wil h a plate m onvthe pendulum a', which can swing 'upon the point n. When the staff d stands obliquely-as indicated,for example, by full lines in Fig. 3-the plate m will be tipped up and keep the lever t', and consequently the rod r, in their elevated positions, as shown in full lines, and consequently the locking-finger h will prevent the signal-bell from ringing. As soon, however, as the leveling-staff is placed in its perpendicular position (indicated by dotted lines in the figure) and the pendulum stands over the.

mark b' the plate m will come to a level position and the lever 'i and rod 7' will drop and release the spring locking-finger h, which will move back to the dotted position, and the ringing mechanism will then operate and give an audible'signal indicating to the surveyor at a distance that the leveling instrument is in the desired perpendicular position. In t he same manner the horizontal position of an instrument can be indicated.

I claim as my invention- 1. A leveling-stafi,a signaling means mounted on the staff and adapte'd to convey a sign'al to adistance, and means for automatically operating the signaling means upon the staff assuning a perpendicular position, substantially as described.

2. A 1eveling-st-aff,asignaling means mounten thereon, a peudulum adapted to operate the signaling means upon the staff assuming a perpendicular position, substanlially as described.

3. A leveling-staff provided with a pendulum and an audible signal controlled by the pendulum toindicate to the surveyor at a distance when the staff stands perpendicularly.

[O the pendulnm to indicate to the surveyo' at a distance when the staff stands perpendieula'ly.

In testimony whereof 1 have signed my name to this speoification in the presence of two snbscribing witnesses.

KARL HEIN.

- witnesses:

LOUISE KNOKE,. EMMA G. WHITE. 

